15. Caring for Your Batteries from Birth to Retirement

GUIDE: Batteries in a portable world. 15. Caring for Your
Batteries from Birth to Retirement

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15. Caring for Your Batteries from Birth to Retirement

It is interesting to observe that batteries cared for by a
single user generally last longer than those that operate in an
open fleet system where everyone has access to, but no one is
accountable for them. There are two distinct groups of battery
users — the personal user and the fleet operator.

A personal user is one who operates a mobile phone, a laptop
computer or a video camera for business or pleasure. He or she will
most likely follow the recommended guidelines in caring for the
battery. The user will get to know the irregularities of the
battery. When the runtime gets low, the battery often gets serviced
or replaced. Critical failures are rare because the owner adjusts
to the performance of the battery and lowers expectations as the
battery ages.

The fleet user, on the other hand, has little personal interest
in the battery and is unlikely to tolerate a pack that is less than
perfect. The fleet user simply grabs a battery from the charger and
expects it to last through the shift. The battery is returned to
the charger at the end of the day, ready for the next person.
Little or no care is given to these batteries. Perhaps due to
neglect, fleet batteries generally have a shorter service life than
those in personal use.

How can fleet batteries be made to last longer? An interesting
contrast in the handling of fleet batteries can be noted by
comparing the practices of the US Army and the Dutch Army,
both of which use fleet batteries. The US Army issues
batteries with no maintenance program in place. If the battery
fails, another pack is issued. Little or no care is given and the
failure rate is high.

The Dutch Army, on the other hand, has moved away from the open
fleet system by making the soldiers responsible for their
batteries. This change was made in an attempt to reduce battery
waste and improve reliability. The batteries are issued in the
soldier’s name and the packs become part of their personal
belongings. The results are startling. Since the Dutch Army adapted
this new regime, the failure rate has dropped considerably and, at
the same time, battery performance has increased. Unexpected down
time has almost been eliminated.

It should be noted that the Dutch Army uses exclusively NiCd
batteries. Each pack receives periodic maintenance to prolong
service life. Weak batteries are systematically replaced. The US
Army, on the other hand, uses NiMH batteries. They are evaluating
the Li-ion polymer for the next generation battery.

Because of the high failure rate of fleet batteries and the
uncertain situations such failures create, some organizations
assign a person to maintain batteries. This person checks all
batteries on a scheduled basis, exercises them for optimum service
life, and replaces those that fall below an accepted capacity level
and do not recover with maintenance programs. Batteries perform an
important function; giving them the care they deserve is
appropriate.